(1) Regarding the Super Bowl, it is important that kids all across America internalize the lesson of that first NFL public service message: Even though you are working in a supermarket, never give up on your dream to play pro ball.

I live in Tampa Bay, from what I'm hearing the ticket prices for that thing are almost down to their face value. Another excess falling away because of the economy. Actually kid of scary.

I think today was our first day of spring. I noticed the trees are flowering and the azelias are blooming. I got warm in my jacket and had to stop for ice cream. I'm bragging in case you didn't notice.

Taking a break in watching the super Bowl. The ads are more entertaining than the usual game.This year we keep up with the local players as human interest: Hines Ward is from an Atlanta suburb and played at UGA. Ken whisenhunt was a Ga Tech player of renown.The unique role of Football on Television today is that it may be the only Reality Show left on TV. These players are great performers and human beings, with a very few bad apples. The enormous leadership value of a head Coach also stands out. The Herm Edwards types tell the players how bad they are and get what they said. The Ken Whisenhunt types tell the players how good they are and get what they said. At long last our Atlanta Falcons had one of the Good type of head coaches this year.

My parents are out in Arizona for the winter and they go to parties every night. They have a great life and I am so happy for them. They have all these friends they hang out with from all over the country. Tonight they are at a Super Bowl Party at the neighbors.

Jennifer Hudson did the all time best national anthem rendition, hands down. FYI, the City of Tampa is a blue collar seaport town, which shows little desire for any other Cultural life than their Football team. Tey just work hard and raise good families.There is also a big influence from the South American and Central American Wealthy families, especially their young people, who visit Tampa for a taste of America without risking the bad elements found in the Miami area. St Petersburg is the beach area across the Bay. The coastline going north from St Petersburg is a wealthy retirement area, such as Clearwater Beach.

Me. You don't want the Steelers to win?Son. NoMe. But I'm from Pennsylvania!Son. What's your point?

(This after he came up, grumbling, for a snack after the interception return).

I haven't heard all National Anthem renditions ever, but I thought Ms. Hudson was great, but I'm a sucker for a singer who goes up a 4th after singing free -- even though it sounded a bit shaky. I thought she took a big phew exhale at the end. Who can blame her? Is there any singing gig that's more pressure-packed?

I thought she looked great too, but was worried her shoes would snap. They looked so tiny!

Added note about Jennifer Hudson, for those who don't know: This appearance was her first public appearance of any kind since her mother, brother, and 9-year-old nephew were murdered last year. And yeah, she was great.

I hate that Hudson didn't sing live. I know that's the way they all do it now but, sorry, singing over a recorded track isn't singing! She was great to go out there and she gave it her all, but let's not forget that she wasn't singing live.

Seems like there is a reason why they do that, something about acoustics and the delay from speakers on the other side of the stadium or something like that. Or I might be imagining reading something like that. Beats me.

titus, I found it. Top of the column. There really aren't many want ads today. Odd. It's nice that you work for a company that provides an exceptional environment in which individuals can excel and achieve their professional and personal goals

The only thing I'd bitch about to the Classifieds people is that QA Auditor/Compliance Specialist is in teeny tiny font -- smaller than the rest of the ad.

Maxine, my son gets Sports Illustrated. My daughter gets Seventeen. They both fight over Entertainment Weekly. My wife gets Martha Stewart Living (she was a Charter Subscriber -- started at Issue #4 -- but stopped a while ago before recently restarting). I get Cook's Illustrated.

For anyone even slightly interested in cooking, it is a no-nonsense, well thought-out and presented guide to practical cooking served up in tasty little portions.

The illustrations alone are worth the price.

Here’s a penny pinching tip for the coming Greater Depression: Go to WalMart or Michael’s or somewhere and buy some picture frames matted to 8 X 10. Cut out some back covers from Cook’s Illustrated and display with pride.

Today I discovered that the 16-inch pizzas from CostCo (which pizzas don't taste very good), don't fit in my oven. I spent $60 at CostCo today, mostly on dairy products - string cheese, cheddar cheese, butter, the aforementioned pizza (with cheese on it). But also Pot Stickers. Love the Pot Stickers from CostCo. And strawberries and pineapples. I forgot to get rice, though, which I needed.

They had lots of cheap Calvin Klein jeans for sale, but for people with stubs for legs. I didn't see an inseam longer than 30. Hello? What use is that to me?

Maxine Weiss said... "Guys that don't like sports are usually isolated from their peer group and will have trouble, socially, with members of their own gender."

What if their peers are jerks? What if the isolation from the peer group carves out time that is productively used by the guy in ways that advance them in other areas? Even if we buy your theory, arguendo, it's not a given that you've identified a bug.

The joke around the house for the recipes in Cooks Illustrated is that you have to dirty up 16 bowls, all the spatulas, every measuring cup and three cookies sheets besides just to make a one-pound loaf of bread. That part of their recipes is annoying (I also can't stand recipes that have just egg whites, or just egg yolks when you're making cookies. Come on!)

I heard it has one of the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities in the country.

which shows little desire for any other Cultural life than their Football team

True! Their art museum doesn't have a building and their downtown is in Ybor. But they do have the Tampa Theater (a pre-depression era movie palace). Go if you can and sit in the balcony. The sky is lit with little lights like stars and everything looks like a medieval castle. And they serve beer.

There was an article in the NYTimes (I know awful) about the revitalization of Pittsburgh from a steel town to a health care/professional services town. It made it sound kind of cool. It's way too small for me though.

I wish I could cook. I don't cook anything and can't cook. I have tried and it always tastes like shit.

I'm glad AZ is losing -- downtown Phoenix is a dead zone at night. I think a town with a WORLD CHAMPION team should not have a downtown that rolls up the sidewalks at 6 PM. I mean, the coffee shops close at 4! Crazy!

Phoenix is awful. It is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country but yet their downtown is crap. I love cities downtowns. I love street life at all hours of the day. One of the most depressing things to me is a city that doesn't have a thriving street life-morning and night.

The best street life cities are NYC (natch), San Francisco and Boston. I think they are rated best walkable cities as well and most expensive.

The most depressing downtowns in this country I have traveled to are Cleveland and Detroit. Depressing because all the boarded up businesses are remnants of a better past. Very sad.

The best "small cities" I have been to are Portland Maine and Burlington Vermont. Absolutely delish. You can walk all around those little cities. They are very cute. I could actually live in Portland, Maine...I think.

"downtown Phoenix is a dead zone at night." I never made it much out of Goodyear so no idea of the nightlife. Plus I was working so I didnt get out much. I did discover four peaks brewery though. The kiltlifter scottish ale was good. I need to see if I can get it here at home. I understand they have their own pub near the brewery.

Did any of you read about the lesbian communes in the NY Times today? There are over 100 lezzie communes all over the country. The lez's buy land in the middle of nowhere and be all lesbian. No men allowed. The one they highlighted was in the middle of bible country in Alabama. These are old dykes too. And serious dykes.

I had some kiltlifter ale also while in Phoenix last month. And yes, it was good, but the name puzzled me. You drink the ale and you have gas that makes your kilt balloon up? Or you get beergoggles and become superhorny and your erection lifts your kilt?

Who thought up that name? I guess it's no worse than Spotted Cow.

I just heard my son say "Yeah!" downstairs. Something pro-Arizona must have happened.

My impression of Whitney Houston's performance is that she was lip-syncing, so if Hudson was, then she could still be better than Houston. I wish she wouldn't do that, but it was still a worthy return to the spotlight, and equal to Houston's performance in the early 90's. She puts out her next single around Valentine's Day, and it's for an excellent pop ballad called If This Isn't Love.

Titus... smoked mullet is a 12 to 18 inch long fish, common to the Gulf Coast, that swims in schools like sardines They have "Mullet Runs" when this fish is easily caught in nets. the fish is actually oily. To eat it the locals split it and smoke it all day like a Barbecue place smokes pork. The mesquite flavor and drying out from this smoking is highly prized, and each locally famous mullet place says it has the best. It's sort of a social custom to admire and partake of this food during Mullet season. Do not make a special trip for it.

Kurt Warner is ridiculously good looking. I want him to win because he is hot.

I'm going to get frozen yogurt right now. Choosing the flavors is never a problem, but I always take forever to pick my toppings. Tonight I feel like almond roca and hot fudge. Orange County is the most boring place in the world to live, but there are frozen yogurt stores in every strip mall, and there are strip malls at every intersection.

I'd like to hear a sincerely religious person tell me why he thinks God is interested in the outcome of a game. It's one thing -- appropriate IMO -- to thank the Lord for your gifts. I don't think it's particularly eloquent, or very original, but hey, these people aren't paid for that. But to imply that God's will was followed by any particular ending of the game? Presumptuous in the extreme.

"I'd like to hear a sincerely religious person tell me why he thinks God is interested in the outcome of a game."I doubt a serious religious person would think that. I think they tend more towards your second sentence.

Jeff... the serious part of a Faith is a faith that God is a rewarder of those who seek him. No one knows how the answer to his sincere prayer will come, but an answer always comes, even if the answer is "no" or "wait".

Assuming he would credit him for skewing the game in the first place which is assuming facts not in evidence. I think its far more likely he would have thanked him for his athletic gifts in playing the game. Which would still be valid even in a loss.

Thank you for reminding me that Namath is from Western PA (Or is it eastern OH)? I'd forgotten about that. Makes sense he gives the trophy to the Steelers, but I have to wonder what would have happened if God hadn't been watching that Curling championship and the Cardinals had won? Would they have carted out someone else?

"The Phoenix Cardinals just sounds weird to me which is why I usually want the city which has a long history to win."I still think of them as St Louis even though it has been 20 years or so. Apparently they have been in Arizona longer than they were in St Louis.

So, don't tell me. You're one of the types that I used to see at my kid's soccer games, especially the 6 years I was team parent/assistant coach - parents who don't really care if their team wins a little dirty. After all, it teaches the kids about "life" - you know, that unfair, cheating things happen to us all the time.

I would mark those parents early every season that they were on our team, the ones encouraging the coaches and kids to cheat just a little - "kick the other girl's ankle, you know, be aggressive, honey". I would always work to keep their kind down or ostracized, usually through getting the coaches to play those particular parent's kids less. It worked almost all the time.

I didn't like what those morally-questionable parents were doing. The sport is supposed to teach sportsmanship, not Wall Street ruthlessness for some small-dicked dad or brainless boob-job former cheerleader mother who wants to over-compensate through their kids.